A burn is probably the most traumatic and severe injury that the human body can sustain and still survive. The major problem is that if the burn itself does not prove fatal, the infection that follows might. A severe thermal burn removes the upper protective layers of the dermis and epidermis as well as disrupting the immunological barriers to infection. It retards regrowth of normal skin and promotes collagen formation which leads to scarring.
The therapeutic use of silver sulfadiazine in successfully treating thermal burns in man and animal is well documented. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,761,590 to Fox describes a process for preparing a thick cream ointment containing silver sulfadiazine useful in burn treatment and this disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
It has been clinically shown that these silver sulfadiazine cream ointments are very effective in the treatment of burn and abrasive injuries to the skin by preventing bacterial infections, especially from Pseudomonas strains. However, in addition to the objectionable odor, cream silver sulfadiazine ointments are very poorly water-soluble, making them extremely difficult and painful to remove from the burn area. This also results in excessive product waste and expense, in addition to the time-consuming task of applying and removal of the ointment. There is thus a definite need in the art for an inexpensive, easy to apply silver sulfadiazine formulation that is painless to the patient when applied, and that is clinically water soluble permitting it to be washed off instantly with minimum discomfort to the patient.